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Planning board sends comments but no recommendation on Stewart's expansion plan and variances at 177 South Broadway
Summary
Stewart's counsel presented a revised site plan and a set of area variances for a redesigned store and canopy; the planning board raised concerns about Broadway frontage and canopy placement but agreed to send written comments to the zoning board rather than a positive or negative recommendation.
Stewart's counsel, Libby Clark, told the planning board the 177 South Broadway project traces back to permits and variances going to 1986 and that the current application is a redesign to relocate some program elements and place mechanicals in a disguised second floor. Clark said the applicant revised the site layout after multiple meetings with staff and the design review board and now seeks variances for buildout percentage, front yard setbacks and signage.
Clark emphasized safety and truck circulation in the redesign: the plan routes delivery tractor-trailers onto South Broadway so they can loop through the site without backing onto Lincoln, which the applicant and engineers said is restricted for heavy trucks. The applicant's team said tanks and dispensers would be modernized and the canopy reworked to improve sight lines.
Board members praised Stewart's presence in the city but repeatedly raised character and scale concerns, especially about removing the building that currently fronts South Broadway and replacing it with a widened pump/canopy area. "I struggle with removing that building, expanding the open area on Broadway, and then building a larger building behind," one board member said, noting the change could worsen the street's pedestrian character.
Public comment included an adjacent property owner who said the proposed footprint would continue to shield him from noise and headlights and who supported the applicant's plan to relocate condensers and other equipment.
After extended discussion, the board withdrew a motion to issue a positive recommendation to the zoning board and instead voted to forward detailed comments: Lincoln frontage (buildout) should be addressed; Broadway buildout and setback requirements are unlikely to be met because of the preexisting canopy/special-permit arrangement; signage should be limited to the reduced 17 sq ft the applicant proposed; and the applicant committed to making the second floor functional rather than purely mechanical. The comments will be transmitted to the zoning board as the planning board's advisory input.
